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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-02-11 Board of Selectmen Minutes Minutes of the Board of Selectmen Meeting February 11, 1992 The meeting was called to order at 7: 05 P.M. Present were Chair- man Eugene Nigro, Vice Chairman Dan Ensminger, Secretary Sally Hoyt, Selectmen Russ Graham and George Hines, Town Manager Peter I. Hechenbleikner. On motion by Graham, seconded by Hines, the Board voted to go into Executive Session for the purpose of ap- proval of minutes, labor negotiations, and land sale. All five members present voted in the affirmative, and the Board adjourned to Executive Session to come into Open Session at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Board reconvened at 7:35 p.m. On motion by Graham, seconded by Hoyt, the minutes of January 14, 1992 were approved by a vote of 5-0-0. On motion by Hoyt, seconded by Graham, the minutes of January 21, 1992 were approved by a vote of 5-0-0. On motion by Hoyt, seconded by Ensminger, the minutes of January 28, 1992 were approved by a vote of 5-0-0. On motion by Hoyt, seconded by Graham, the minutes of February 4, 1992 were approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Liaison Reports George Hines indicated that he would be making a report later on the Ice Rink. Sally Hoyt indicated that she had talked with Senator Tisei who advised that the local aid would be no less than it was last year. He also advised that Reading would qualify for some of the proposed $186 million school assistance. Dan Ensminger had no report. Russ Graham had no report. Eugene Nigro indicated that the Budget Committee had met, and that the Town may be within striking distance of balancing a budget and preserving rubbish collection and removal as a serv- ice. The Budget Committee talked about postponing Town Meeting until revenue figures were finalized. Mr. Nigro suggested that we should not look for an override. Delaying the budget would also allow the RESCO court case to have been heard. George Hines indicated that he had asked Representative Krekorian to follow up on our reimbursement of Chapter 90 funds for the im- provement of Haverhill Street. Public Comment Bill Brown felt that the rubbish collection program had to be within the Department of Public Works per "Charter. The Town could not privatize it. He indicated that the public cannot - ' handle more fees. Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 2 Eugene Nigro indicated that the Board of Selectmen would not have citizen participation in response to the Ice Rink Report, but if anyone wanted to make a brief comment now that they could do so. A hearing on the Ice Rink Report will be scheduled for March 17 at 8:00 p.m. Mr. Kevin Moran indicated that he would not make a report tonight, but added additional materials to those that the Board of Selectmen already had. Marlene Cohen presented a peti- tion. Nancy Eaton indicated that Reading Rifle would like to buy the Nike Site and offered the Board $250, 000. 00. She indicated that she had previously discussed this with the Town Manager. Margaret Vivitz asked if the material presented tonight would be available to the general public and it was explained to her that it would be made available in the Town Hall and in the Library. George Hines presented the Ice Rink Siting Task Force Preliminary Report. He indicated that Nelson Burbank was on vacation, but was represented by Brad Latham. Members of the Committee present also included Mark Curley and Mike McCaffrey. "Lucky" Hulse was not able to be present. Hines handed out the report and a copy of the letter from Mr. Burbank reiterating his offer. The Task Force reviewed a number of sites and screened the sites down to three potentials: Batchelder Field on Franklin Street, Birch Meadow, and the Nike Site on Haverhill Street. The Board of Selectmen has received a letter from Mr. Burbank confirming the $1 million offer and supplementing up to $800, 000 as a col- lateralized loan. He made it clear that through the lease, the Town would own the rink and a non-profit corporation would operate and manage it. Brad Latham indicated that the non-profit corporation would develop and construct the rink, and operate it and maintain it. The Town would own the land and the rink. The Town could take ownership of the rink at any time that it wanted to. The Town would not have any financial liability. There would be no lien imposed on the rink--the $800, 000 would be a loan collateralized by Mr. Burbank's assets. If there was a failure of the project, the Town would own the building. There could be an asset account to provide for future demolition if needed. Mr. Hines indicated that the Army Corps of Engineers will clean up the Nike Base Site, although that cleanup is not related to potential use of a portion of the site for a rink. Dan Ensminger reviewed the charge to the Committee. He indicated that the report needed to include the Conservation Administrator's written evaluation on each site, and flagging of wetland, etc. The written evaluation will be in the final ver- sion of the report. Hines pointed that out on page 9a the deepest penetration of the wetlands was shown. This site has the least impact on the wetlands. There are no wetlands related to the access drive. Sally Hoyt indicated that she felt Mr. Hulse would adequately protect the wetlands concerns. Mr. Nigro asked if there was anything that would serve as a bar- rier to the Nike Site being used for the purpose proposed. George Hines indicated that the only concern was the legal status of the access roadway, but Town Counsel has assured the Committee Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 3 that we can establish adequate access. Mr. Hines indicated that all processes were followed--the meetings were open to the public and this showed that the process can and has worked. He indi- cated that there are no hidden agendas, and no self-interest or monetary gain on the part of anyone on the Committee. Brad Latham reviewed Mr. Burbank's history. He came to Reading at three years old and went through the Reading School Systems. He served in World War II and following that he founded a brokerage company. The brokerage company has been very success- ful. He has the Town's best interest at heart and his motivation is one of generosity. He feels that there is a deficiency in the Town with regard to an ice rink. Eugene Nigro asked if there were any perceived or anticipated zoning problems. It was indicated that this property would fall within an exemption of zoning because it is a Town facility. The Town would seek Site Plan Review and approval for the proposed project. The access roadway could be built within the existing roadway which is deeded at 37 feet. There are two abutters who have rights to the roadway plus the Reading Rifle & Revolver Club and Zanni. These rights must be preserved. Within the right- of-way there could be established two twelve foot lanes plus a parking lane. There would need to be a sufficient turning radius at Haverhill Street. It is not currently nor is it intended to be a public way. Sally Hoyt asked if there would be sidewalks. It was indicated that there would be room for a sidewalk on one side, but that the site tends to be auto oriented and that we may not need to put in a sidewalk. Dan Ensminger reviewed the rest of the process. He indicated that we need a total package including traffic studies, an out- line of the lease agreement, etc. so that one package of informa- tion could go to Town Meeting. The Board confirmed that there would be a hearing on March 17 at 8: 00 p.m. On motion by Ensminger, seconded by Hoyt, the Board voted to extend the Ad Hoc Committee through the Spring Town Meeting date of action on the Ice Rink. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-1 with Hines abstaining. Hines also asked for the Board to accept the report, and on motion by Graham, seconded by Hoyt, the Board voted to ac- cept the report for review by a vote of 4-0-1, with Hines abstaining. The Board asked for CPDC input on the use of this site for the purpose proposed-=that input should be received prior to the public hearing--and does this have any effect on the economic development proposals that CPDC is working on. George Hines in- dicated that the Recreation Committee has endorsed the proposal. Hines also noted that in the proposal for the facility, ap- proximately $25,000 per year could be returned to the Town. The site uses only 4 of 15 acres. The cost of cleanup of the silos and other potential recreation uses on the remainder of the site were reviewed. Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 4 There were no applicants for the Hazardous Waste Advisory Com- mittee vacancy. The Board reviewed the budgets. Chief Marchand from the Police Department and Chief Redfern from the Fire Department were present. George Hines asked about the impact of reductions in overtime on the number of people working at any time, and the proposal to have at least one superior officer on each shift. Chief Marchand indicated that if the Town ran out of overtime then he would have to come in and cover. Less than 50% of the time is there a Lieutenant and Sergeant both on daily shift. The Board talked about the decrease in fine income. The Chief indicated that when the Department lost five people, income reduced. Also, the Depot Enforcement Officer was eliminated. There are not as many cars on the road either. The Chief indi- cated that in 1987 there were 6, 000 moving violations and 3, 000 parking tickets issued compared to 4,300 moving violations and 1,700 parking tickets in 1991. He felt that it is true that of- ficers may not be writing as many citations because of the high fine levels. The Town has cut back on tactical police force training and spe- cial operations unit training. Increased house breaks have an effect on detectives workload. To date we have been able to answer calls and follow up but we have curtailed stakeouts. The house breaks in Reading are done both by professionals and amateurs, both outsiders and local people. In the Detective Bureau, we have a Lieutenant, a Sergeant and three detectives. The Sergeant is in court during prosecutions, Monday through Friday, and handles all citations and other work. He doesn't supervise at the station, but takes care of schedul- ing. The Lieutenant Detective oversees the scheduling of courts and supervises the detectives. There is one day and two night detectives. Detectives are generally on duty from 8:00 a.m. to 11: 00 p.m. , Monday through Friday, and usually have someone on duty over the weekend. A question was raised as to whether or not we still provide serv- ices such as lockouts. If someone is available, the police as- sist in opening houses and/or cars to people who have locked themselves out. There are 10 to 15 per week. It is done on a non-priority basis. The incidents of domestic violence in 209A cases has increased. A normal arrest takes one hour plus bail- ing.. The budget as presented is predicated on the attrition of one person. Sally Hoyt indicated that it was safer to have the money for that position in the budget in the event that there is not a -- retirement. Eugene Nigro talked about the concept of a Public Safety Depart- ment. One possibility would have joint accountability for dis- patch. Chief Marchand indicated that he has heard of no com- plaints about the dispatch operation in the last fifteen months. Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 5 Everything is now working well. Initially there were problems be- cause we didn't have enough dispatchers and the dispatchers were not adequately trained. He favors the elevation of a Head Dis- patcher which would help with supervision and training. Chief Redfern agreed. With regard to the Town Manager's Public Safety Department proposal, Chief Marchand felt that this would result in a greater cost in superior officer overtime; dispatch would not be reporting to either police or fire; there would be a problem with confidential clerical support no one in the depart- ment is interested in becoming a "Deputy Chief" ; police depart- ment matters don't currently overburden the Town Manager; and the Town wouldn't gain anything. Sally Hoyt indicated that she felt this was a temporary recession and why should we restructure when we would be able to go back to normal shortly. Eugene Nigro felt that we need to come up with $230, 000 in addi- tional reductions. Chief Marchand indicated that the Police Department has taken cuts. Arlington tried a Public Safety Department and has abandoned it. Chief Redfern indicated that the best scenario for having a topnotch dispatch operation is to have a separate facility with supervision and responsible to both chiefs, or a regional fire dispatch and separate regional police dispatch. Adequate staffing and training is critical. Fire has lost something, especially in medical emergencies as a result of shifting the dispatch operation. Dan Ensminger asked about Police Department overtime. Overtime for court time has reduced, partly because there are fewer ar- rests because of one less detective. He asked about a furlough one day per month and the Chief responded that this would be very difficult for the Police Department because they are now running shorthanded. The question was raised about deferring purchase of the cruisers. The Chief indicated that they would have over 90, 000 miles on the cruisers. The Chief reviewed the number of vehicles in the Police Department. He initially stated that there were 13 and then revised that to 12 as follows: 5 marked vehicles, 2 detec- tive vehicles, 1 Chief's vehicle, 2 Lieutenants' vehicles, 1 van (purchased with Drug Enforcement money) and 1 Animal Control Of- ficers vehicle. The detectives' cars are handed down from the Chief and have 20 - 90, 000 or 100,000 miles on it and are turned in every three to four years. The Lieutenants' vehicles have 80,000 and 50, 000 miles respectively -- one was once a cruiser and one was a detective's vehicle. The two new vehicles would be replacements for cruisers. The question was raised as to whether or not we can shift cars and move more cars into the cruiser area. The Chief answered that some officers have twenty-four hour availability. All three lieutenants are on twenty-four hour call--one lieutenant is in charge of the Special Operations Unit; one is in charge of the Detectives Division of the Tactical --, Police Force. Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 6 The question was raised as to whether or not the Town is self- insured for collision. The Town Manager will follow up. Sally Hoyt reiterated that Public Safety is high on the priority list. Chief Redfern was asked about the possible reorganization of the Department of Public Safety. He felt that the Public Safety Director would have to be a superman to administer both depart- ments. One person can't do it. Management of the Fire Depart- ment is intertwined with daily operations. Nobody in the Fire Department would be interested. The "Deputy Chief" position would have to take on some of the administrative duties. The ef- fect would be to bring in outside people to manage the opera- tions. This would be okay if there were problems, but we don't have problems. It has been tried a few times in Massachusetts and failed. There would be hostility in the department and a lack of public support. Frank Driscoll asked what would happen to the lieutenants posi- tion. The Town Manager indicated that there would be one less lieutenant in the Fire Department. The Board talked about ambulance billing and advanced life sup- port billing. The Board clarified the past and current practice with regard to minimum manning. Currently, we require nine firefighters on duty at all times, but there is flexibility as to what equipment they operate. Mutual aid for Metro Fire requires three persons to respond to a call. The Chief felt that with 42 people in the department, $95, 000 in overtime will not be ade- quate. We would need $150,000 in overtime. We have been able to manage in the past by taking a ladder truck out of service. The Chief stated that the replacement chief's salary should be in the area of $58, 000, and that we would have a lieutenant operating out of grade at times. The Town Manager's proposal to move the West Side Station complement to downtown, Monday through Friday would have operating difficulties. It was asked whether the firefighters could be used for inspec- tions or other use. The Department needs command officers. Chairman Nigro talked about the possibility of going to a call department versus a pay department. He compared to Lynnfield. The Chief indicated that, of course, that could be done, but he feels that the community demands more fire service than a call fire department. The Chief indicated that among twenty-five Metro Fire Towns, Reading ranks twenty-fourth in budget, tenth in emergency responses, twenty-third in per capita expenditures, twenty-fourth in manning, twenty-fifth in fire prevention educa- tion efforts. Ten of the twenty-five don't operate the ambulance service. In 1960, we had a fifty-six man fire department with 600 runs and no ambulance. In 1982, we had a forty-six man fire department with 1800 runs and did provide ambulance service; in _ 1992, we have forty-two men with 3000 runs and operate the am- bulance service. On motion by Hines, seconded by Ensminger, the Board voted to lay Article 9B on the table for consideration after 11:00 p.m. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. George Hines suggested Selectmen's Minutes - 2/11/92 - page 7 exploring the phasing in of a Public Safety Director. There might be no savings now, but a savings of up to $60,000 later and we currently have a vacancy in one executive position. Gene Nigro asked if a Public Safety Director would have a contract, and the Town Manager indicated that would probably not be the case. He asked about having a Town Manager act as a Director of Public Safety. Sally Hoyt indicated that she does not support reorganization. Gene Nigro indicated that we needed to have closure on this issue. He felt that if there would be long-term savings that we should go to a Public Safety Department. George Hines felt that he needed more information. Dan Ensminger was concerned that there are no models of such a program in Mas- sachusetts. On motion by Graham, seconded by Hoyt, the Board moved to recom- mend a Public Safety Budget of $3,726,251. On motion by Hines, seconded by Hoyt, an amendment was made to add $32 , 000 to the salary portion of the Police Department Budget. The amendment was not approved by a vote of 2-3-0. The main motion was ap- proved by a vote of 4-1-0 with Hines opposed. Hines indicated that he felt the Board's sense was if there are additional funds available, that keeping the police officer staff would be a high priority. _1 Nancy Eaton from Reading Rifle & Revolver indicated that the club would pay one quarter of a million dollars for the Nike Base, site unseen. If the site is rejected by Town Meeting, then the, Board might consider such an offer. The Board will wait until after Town Meeting to further consider this. She indicated that the Rifle & Revolver Club would also be interested in less than the total parcel. The Board talked about the potential for a Proposition 2-1/2 Override and agreed that they would be meeting on the 24th and would make a decision at that time. On motion by Hines, seconded by Hoyt, the Board voted to adjourn at 11:50 p.m. All members voted in favor and the meeting was ad- journed. Respectfully submitted, ecre ry